Rendez-vous pour le thé

Indulgence: triple word score
There are three of them. Three longtime friends, as loyal as the letters of a well-placed word. Every Sunday, or almost every Sunday, they meet, taking turns at one or the other's house. The Scrabble game sits in the center of the table: a game with worn tiles, its slightly warped board bearing the marks of years gone by.

Around this precious relic, the rituals remain unchanged: a white cotton tablecloth, a fine porcelain teapot, a few sweet treats to share. One swears by the English toffees she brings back from her trips to London. Another adores pecans, which she adds to all her cakes. The third perfumes her linens and madeleines with orange blossom.

And then one day, Betty, aka Madame Toffee, walks into her favorite tea shop and discovers an unexpected blend: a black tea that magically combines their three guilty pleasures. From the first sip, they know it will become their ritual. Their special date. Their go-to tea for those afternoons filled with confidences, scones… and words that count triple.

Tea and food pairing
Rendez-vous pour le thé celebrates those precious, often discreet hours when we meet informally but thoughtfully. It's a tea for quiet conversation, for carefully chosen indulgences, for gently affirmed complicity. It reveals its full richness with a soft gingerbread with figs, or a milk chocolate mousse punctuated with fleur de sel. A slightly warm poached pear with vanilla highlights its smooth roundness, while an almond milk flan or creamy rice pudding offers a delicately milky echo. It can also be paired with tonka bean shortbread, or a thin tart with roasted peaches, for a more unexpected touch of elegance.

Recipes and cocktails using black tea. A tea party!

A smooth, indulgent and enveloping cocktail, perfect for a festive tea time or a refined end to a meal.

Ingredients (for 1 glass):
• 8 cl of black tea. See you soon for brewed tea (strong, cooled).
• 3 cl of whisky cream (Baileys type) or amaretto, according to your preference
• 1 cl of date syrup (or maple syrup as a milder alternative)
• 1 dash of orange blossom water
• A few ice cubes (for the iced version)
• Toasted pecans or milk chocolate shavings for decoration

Preparation :
1. Infuse the tea for 4 to 5 minutes with water at 90–95°C, then let it cool.
2. In a shaker, pour the tea, the whisky cream (or amaretto), the date syrup and the orange blossom.
3. Add ice cubes and shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Strain and serve in an old-fashioned glass or a small cocktail glass.
5. Decorate with half a pecan placed on the rim of the glass or a sprinkle of grated chocolate.